chap, xvn.] AN EARTHQUAKE. 391 



curious and important phenomenon. It may be due in 

 part to constant slight earthquake shocks, facilitating the 

 disintegration of rock ; but would also seem to indicate 

 that the country has been long exposed to gentle atmo- 

 spheric action, and that its elevation has been exceedingly 

 slow and continuous. 



During my stay at Runikan my curiosity was satisfied 



by experiencing a pretty sharp earthquake-shock. On the 



evening of June 29th, at a quarter after eight, as I was 



sitting reading, the house began shaking with a very gentle, 



but rapidly increasing motion. I sat still enjoying the 



novel sensation for some seconds ; but in less than half a 



minute it became strong enough to shake me in my chair, 



and to make the house visibly rock about, and creak and 



crack as if it would fall to pieces. Then began a cry 



throughout the village of " Tana goyang ! tana goyang ! " 



(Earthquake ! earthquake !) Everybody rushed out of their 



houses — women screamed and children cried — and I 



thought it prudent to go out too. On getting up, I found 



my head giddy and my steps unsteady, and could hardly 



walk without falling. The shock continued about a minute, 



during which time I felt as if I had been turned round 



and round, aud was almost sea-sick. Going into the house 



again, I found a lamp and a bottle of arrack upset. The 



tumbler which formed the lamp had been thrown out of 



the saucer in which it had stood. The shock appeared to 



